Pupils practice political process
By Jill Gosche, jgosche@advertiser-tribune.com
NEW RIEGEL - A gifted education teacher says a voting project is interesting because most classes mention the election, but actually allowing children to cast mock ballots enables them to take a personal interest in the process.
Teacher Anne Arnold helped children at New Riegel Elementary School cast their ballots for the next president during a mock election Friday morning. Children in the Hopewell-Loudon Local School District are to take their turns Monday.
Arnold said she is trying to give children confidence in their beliefs and in their sense of right and wrong.
"I hope they just take some pride in their country and in the ability to make their own voice or opinion known," she said.
Children in the talented-and-gifted program in grades 3-6 planned the election for children in grades K-6. Arnold said TAG students did "heavy duty" brainstorming.
"The TAG kids did the organizing," she said. "They decided that there should be stamping for accountability."
One by one, children gave Arnold their registration forms, and she stamped their hands. They entered her office to vote in booths, and a ballot box awaited their selections.
Children picked between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Arnold said students would compare the results with those from Ohio and the United States.
Amy Akers, fourth-grade teacher, said her students discussed why they needed to fill out voter registration forms, and actually filled out the forms.
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TonyDM
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11-02-08 1:03 AM
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What are government schools coming to? We have 7 candidates on the Ohio ballot - 6 parties and 1 independent, and the poor government-schooled kids don't even know half of the candidates! That's some kind of informed voter we're producing. Senators McCain and Obama have voted alike over 90% of the time. Recently they cried "Bailout, Bailout" like Siamese twins. They passed the Bailout of the Wall Street crooks. McBama are McSame. That is why Ron Paul, who ran against McCain for the Republican nomination, is endorsing Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. That is why the Libertarian Party is running former Republican Congressman Bob Barr - Bob Barr knows Republicans are all Democrats now. The Green Party is running a former Congresswoman - African-American Cynthia McKinney. How many voters in Tiffin have heard of the black WOMAN running for President? Brian Moore is the Socialist Party candidate and Ralph Nader has no party. Those are our 7 choices on the ballot
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